The Crime Time Cafe

Crime. Stories. No promises.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Wait...

I just noticed the following title by the enormously successful Janet Evanovich - FINGER LICKIN' FIFTEEN. I'm going to take the plunge and say this is probably the fifteenth entry in the Stephanie Plum series. Haven't read the series. I'm sure it's lovely. No knock on Ms. Evanovich either. I don't know her. Never met her and in all my Bouchercon forays - more on that later - I don't think we've ever been in the same room at the same time.

But...have I missed something? Do people say "finger lickin' fifteen"? Has there been a KFC promo I'm not aware of? (I do try to stay informed.) Fine if it's a cliche or pun that I'm just not picking up. Anyway, I'm sure it's a good book. Titles for my own books have never yet been left up to me. Every single title has been imposed by outside forces. Maybe that happened here.

In any event, if you've read this far, sould you recommend a Lawrence Block title? I've never read him either. Something recent please.

Wait...

Monday, March 09, 2009

I've never read...

Robert B. Parker. There. I've said it. And there's even a reason for the oversight - in fact, it's not really an oversight at all. Ever since I became interested in mysteries about ten years ago, I've been hearing about Parker and, frankly, it is always along the lines of "Mr. Parker phoned in another novel. Don't waste your time unless you're a die-hard fan." Because of reviews like this,I never gave him a chance. Life being short and all that.

Still, I'm wondering what I'm missing. So I'm asking for a recommendation. But... Unlike most readers, I'm not that interested in the history of the author - that is, I don't want his "breakthrough" novel. I want to know what is his most recent novel that you think is a must read. Has he written anything in the past ten years that is absolutely "can't miss" material?

Or am I right to think that Parker's ability to "wow" a reader went stale in the 1980s?

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Not Trying to Start Anything, But... (Political)

I don't understand the Rush Limbaugh thing. When it comes to politics, I should say I'm about as likely to vote Dem as Rep. I'm listed as an Independent, but even that's not an overt political thing for me - I just find both sides sometimes do stupid things and both sides sometimes do smart things.

But Limbaugh? Really? He's the leader? That pretty much guts the GOP doesn't it? I mean, Limbaugh IS an entertainer, for goodness sake. I understand he has an Oprah-like platform, millions of people listen in everyday, etc. Fine. I get that and the kow-towing that comes with it. Certainly, nobody wants to piss him off intentionally. Understood. Hell, it would even be rude to in a certain way, but COME ON! He's a voice on the radio. He's not a leader. I can tell he's not a leader. Want to know how I'm so sure? He doesn't hold public office. As far as I know. Has he ever had to try to push a single bit of legislation through? Or make an executive decision that didn't involve donuts*?

Rush is a Monday morning quarterback. He puts spin on what real leaders have done. Frankly, if I were Mr. Steele, I wouldn't have taken back what I said. If there were enough pressure for me to do so, I'd rather quit than stroke Mr. Limbaugh's ego...Or any other part of him. Most likely, I wouldn't have responded to Rush's tirade. If anything, I would have put out a clarification that said: "We of the Republican party want America to succeed. We will work with the President to ensure that happens."Or,Given my penchant for sarcasm, I might have said something more like, "Sorry to Rush Limbaugh, I didn't mean to offend him. I thought for sure he was still high as a kite and wouldn't be paying attention..."

* Not a knock on his weight. I make executive decisions about donuts almost daily.

About Me

I run two blogs: one about the Bible and one about writing. I've been a Christian since 1980. I've been a published writer since 2001. I've never formally trained in either area though I have gone to Sunday School and even taught Sunday School for a while. That experience was a very good one. I also took a couple of creative writing classes at Hunter college as an undergrad. Hmm, I guess that's pretty formal. Anyway, some will know me as the writer of the Precinct Puerto Rico mystery series.